Network Bridging with XP

[cKGunslinger]

OK, I've asked a similiar question before, but here it is again. I know this *can* be done, because I had it working for a week or so, before I lost a drive. But there is some magical configuration combination that I can't seem to duplicate with this rebuild. There is no Firewall active (including WinXP FW.)


There is a Router at 192.168.0.1 that auto-assigns IPs and serves as a DNS server. (FYI, this is my neighbors router, and the terms of his ISP says he may share his connection.) I connect with PC1 to this router via a USB 802.11g Access Point, telling it to auto-acquire an IP (usually 192.168.0.3)

Ok, now all is well and I can connect to the internet with PC1.

Now, I want to add PC2 to the mix, via 10/100T Cat5 + Hub. I want PC2 to be LAN'd with PC 1, and also pick up the internet through PC1s wireless and the Router at 192.168.0.1. I know I have to create a LAN and BRIDGE that LAN with the PC1's wirelesss connection in XP. All that is fine, but when I do, I lose internet access (on PC1) in place of gaining a working LAN with PC1 and PC2.

Can anyone fill out the following data to make this work? I'll fill out what I have (not working) and see if you can see what may be wrong.

PC1 Wireless TCP/IP properties:
- Obtain an IP address automatically

- Use the following DNS server addresses
- - 192.168.0.1
- - xx.xxx.xx.xx (ISP's provided DNS server)

- Alternate Configuration Tab
- - Automatic Private IP Address


PC1 LAN TCP/IP properties:
- Use the following IP address:
- - 192.168.0.101 (IP)
- - 255.255.255.0 (Mask)
- - empty (Default gateway)

- Use the following DNS server addresses
- - 192.168.0.1
- - xx.xxx.xx.xx (ISP's provided DNS server)



PC1 Network Bridge TCP/IP properties:
- Use the following IP address:
- - 192.168.0.199 (IP)
- - 255.255.255.0 (Mask)
- - empty (Default gateway)

- Use the following DNS server addresses
- - 192.168.0.1
- - xx.xxx.xx.xx (ISP's provided DNS server)



PC2 LAN TCP/IP properties:
- Use the following IP address:
- - 192.168.0.102 (IP)
- - 255.255.255.0 (Mask)
- - 192.168.0.199 (Default gateway)

- Use the following DNS server addresses
- - 192.168.0.1
- - xx.xxx.xx.xx (ISP's provided DNS server)

 

[cKGunslinger]

OK, I'm trying to think about this aloud.

I think I want the Router at 192.168.0.1 to assign the IPs via DHCP. I want it to assign PC1's and PC2's, so that they may access the Internet.

Does that mean I need to let PC2's LAN IP be auto-assigned and have it use 192.168.0.1 as the DHCP server address? Then what about PC1's LAN and Bridge? Should those be auto-acquired?

But what about the default gateway? Would PC2 need to point to PC1's Bridge as its gateway? If so, then the Bridge would need a static IP, so if could be referenced, no?

 

[skyking]

Rather than bridging, try using Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).
Start back at getting connected with PC1 to the wireless. Get that going.
Now, go to network connections, right click on the wireless connection, and select properties.
In properties, go to the advanced tab, and click the box "share this connection".

Now your computer has become the router and dhcp server for your lan. It will auto assign 192.168.1.1 as the IP address for your LAN network connection, and start handing out addresses to computers connected to that lan. It will give those computers 192.168.1.1 as a gateway, and it will then run the traffic over the wireless(shared) connection.

 

[nweaver]

don't use ICS...

leave all on DHCP, hook your wireless up to the neighbors AP, select both nics and say "bridge". Then client 2 should dhcp an IP from the router and all should work.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: nweaver
don't use ICS...

leave all on DHCP, hook your wireless up to the neighbors AP, select both nics and say "bridge". Then client 2 should dhcp an IP from the router and all should work.

In theory, that's exactly what I'm doing, but it's not working. PC2 is not getting a DHCP IP from the router. It can't ping the router, or PC1, but it can ping the Bridge on PC1, assuming I manually give the Bridge an IP. But then PC1 can't ping the router either if I bridge.

So far, I can get an LAN with PC1 and my neighbor's router/LAN *OR* I can get a LAN with PC1 and PC2, but I can't get both simultaneously, even thoughbthat's what the bridge is supposed to do.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: skyking
Rather than bridging, try using Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).
Start back at getting connected with PC1 to the wireless. Get that going.
Now, go to network connections, right click on the wireless connection, and select properties.
In properties, go to the advanced tab, and click the box "share this connection".

Now your computer has become the router and dhcp server for your lan. It will auto assign 192.168.1.1 as the IP address for your LAN network connection, and start handing out addresses to computers connected to that lan. It will give those computers 192.168.1.1 as a gateway, and it will then run the traffic over the wireless(shared) connection.

So is there some way to force ICS to autoassign an addess other than 192.168.0.1? Because that's what it tried to assign, which fails becasue the router already has that address.

 

[Cassius105]

Iv got the exact same problem, as soon as i bridge my wireless connection to the cable connection the wireless connection dies entirely.

Also got the same issue with activating ICS in that the router already has that IP

 

[skyking]

My mistake, I recalled that gateway incorrectly. If you can change the gateway in the neighbor's router to something else, that would be the least time consuming. I have looked a bit on changing the 192.168.0.1 gateway in ICS, and I've found nothing

 

[Brazen]

Why don't you get a linksys wireless AP and use it as a bridge.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: Brazen
Why don't you get a linksys wireless AP and use it as a bridge.

Well, the purchase of additional hardware to solve a problem that was once working correctly with the curernt hardware seems a bit wasteful to me.

But, alas, time > money, so I simply bought another wireless AP for PC2. Not very expansive, but it solves the immediate need.

I'd still like to know how to get this back working.

 

[Cassius105]

Attempted moving my router off the 192.168.0.1 IP

moving it to 192.168.0.100 didnt really do anything

moving it to 192.168.1.1 stopped the ICS setup from complaining but still no net actualy going through to the other PC

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: Brazen
Why don't you get a linksys wireless AP and use it as a bridge.

Well, the purchase of additional hardware to solve a problem that was once working correctly with the curernt hardware seems a bit wasteful to me.

But, alas, time > money, so I simply bought another wireless AP for PC2. Not very expansive, but it solves the immediate need.

I'd still like to know how to get this back working.

The thing is though, this way you won't have to leave PC1 running in order for PC2 to access the internet, and a little AP bridge is going to have huge power savings over a PC.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: Brazen

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: Brazen
Why don't you get a linksys wireless AP and use it as a bridge.

Well, the purchase of additional hardware to solve a problem that was once working correctly with the curernt hardware seems a bit wasteful to me.

But, alas, time > money, so I simply bought another wireless AP for PC2. Not very expansive, but it solves the immediate need.

I'd still like to know how to get this back working.

The thing is though, this way you won't have to leave PC1 running in order for PC2 to access the internet, and a little AP bridge is going to have huge power savings over a PC.

True, but now I also have to transfer any large files over the 802.11g connection twice, instead of the 100Mbit LAN for the 2 PCs 6 ft apart from each other. Not a big deal, but in principle.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: Brazen

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: Brazen
Why don't you get a linksys wireless AP and use it as a bridge.

Well, the purchase of additional hardware to solve a problem that was once working correctly with the curernt hardware seems a bit wasteful to me.

But, alas, time > money, so I simply bought another wireless AP for PC2. Not very expansive, but it solves the immediate need.

I'd still like to know how to get this back working.

The thing is though, this way you won't have to leave PC1 running in order for PC2 to access the internet, and a little AP bridge is going to have huge power savings over a PC.

True, but now I also have to transfer any large files over the 802.11g connection twice, instead of the 100Mbit LAN for the 2 PCs 6 ft apart from each other. Not a big deal, but in principle.

Not necessarily, you could plug both computers wiredly into the bridge.

 

[kaleaf]

if im understanding this right your setup is all messed up hehe

so

neighbors network is 192.168.0.x gatewate 192.168.0.1

say it was a wired network you could put a router on your network and your (isp) would be neighbor like this

your router setup(static ip's)

wan ip - 192.168.0.23(something not on his network that will conflict with neighbor stuff)
wan gateway 192.168.0.1 (his router)
dns 192.168.0.1

router lan ip 192.168.1.1
lan ip's automatic(dchp) 192.168.1.2-250 range

and that would be in your neigh router woudld be your isp basicly and anything on your network would have no prob
port forwarding would however go like this

portforwarding would have to be done on both routers,, his router would forward your port's your your routers wan ip 192.168.0.23...so then your router forward to 192.168.1.2-255

problem is a router isnt going to use built in wifi on its wan side(internet plug) so if your link to your neighbor is wireless you have to throught something on your side with wifi and portforwarding 3 times gets to be a pain


if your pc was windows 2000 server your could have it do what your trying no prob

other options
-buy some stuff
-get wifi on alll you pc's and just totally join his network
-use windows 2k or 2k3 and setup it as a router,,, it could use wifi card as the wan connection192.168.0.23 and use a onboard nic as a lan server192.168.1.1

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: kaleaf
if im understanding this right your setup is all messed up hehe

so

neighbors network is 192.168.0.x gatewate 192.168.0.1

say it was a wired network you could put a router on your network and your (isp) would be neighbor like this

your router setup(static ip's)

wan ip - 192.168.0.23(something not on his network that will conflict with neighbor stuff)
wan gateway 192.168.0.1 (his router)
dns 192.168.0.1

router lan ip 192.168.1.1
lan ip's automatic(dchp) 192.168.1.2-250 range

and that would be in your neigh router woudld be your isp basicly and anything on your network would have no prob
port forwarding would however go like this

portforwarding would have to be done on both routers,, his router would forward your port's your your routers wan ip 192.168.0.23...so then your router forward to 192.168.1.2-255

problem is a router isnt going to use built in wifi on its wan side(internet plug) so if your link to your neighbor is wireless you have to throught something on your side with wifi and portforwarding 3 times gets to be a pain


if your pc was windows 2000 server your could have it do what your trying no prob

other options
-buy some stuff
-get wifi on alll you pc's and just totally join his network
-use windows 2k or 2k3 and setup it as a router,,, it could use wifi card as the wan connection192.168.0.23 and use a onboard nic as a lan server192.168.1.1

Thanks for the input. I'll decipher all that when I get home.

It's weird, I've had this setting up working on 2 separate occasions. The first time, he was using his PC as the router, and I did have a different subnet for my LAN (192.168.1.xx.) After he changed it around to use a router as the router, we worked on it and got it working with all 3 of my PCs on his subnet (192.168.0.x.) I had one PC connected to his via wireless, and my other PCs would see my first PC as a Internet Gateway and connect via it through a simple hub. I'm not sure why that's working now.

For now, I am getting a second USB AP. That will at least allow 2 of my PCs access directly via wireless. The third is less important, for now.